Okay, so I realized I work at BlogHer. And I also realize I am moderating a panel at BlogHer Writers '11. So this is going to look very fake and sales-y, and that's actually not what I'm all about. I will be very direct if I am doing that.  Here is me being direct: I'm writing this post of my own volition and speaking only for me, not for BlogHer in any, way, shape or form. 

Now bear with me while I jump up and down around my library for a second, throwing hardbacks in the air with glee for the love of publishing. Ouch. Of course one just hit me in the head.

I am just really excited about this because it's going to be chock-full of Penguin Publishing editors, authors and publicists as well as a bunch of bloggers who have crossed the print line. And anyone who has read this blog ever knows that I am a publishing fiend, unable to resist any opportunity to find out more about the world's most confusing business. You'd think I'd know everything after a book, right? 

That is not true. Especially with what's happened in the past five years to publishing. 2008 feels like 25 years ago, not four.

There are no guarantees in life, but it never hurts to try for the face-to-face if the opportunity presents itself. 

The conference is three weeks away. It's in NYC. It's only one day -- Friday, October 21. There are basically two tracks -- one for newbies, one for people like me who have been through the publishing wringer before and have the glutton-for-punishment need to do it again. You can get the whole schedule here.

I'm moderating a panel about marketing -- my experience with BlogHer Book Club has been educational and so much fun for me. I've "met" online two of the three Penguin authors who will be speaking -- Jean Kwok (Girl in Translation) and Ann Napolitano (A Good Hard Look). (Haven't yet met or "met" Dominique%20Browning. Will have that on the docket, for sure.) Look! I even get to be on a panel with Jean.

Track 1: Your Role as Marketer in Today's Publishing World

Writers are–or need to be–marketers, and your command of social media provides a critical edge: both pre-book deal, to validate you have a following, and post-book publication, to help you sell your book. BlogHer editor Rita Arens (editor of Sleep is For the Weak) moderates a discussion with Penguin Business Development Manager Colleen Lindsay, author Jean Kwok (author of Girl in Translation), independent PR consultant Lauren Cerand, and Penguin marketer Lydia Hirt.

I'm also waiting eagerly to see old friends/speakers Kamy Wicoff, Carleen Brice, Jane Schonberger, Kathy Cano-Murillo, and a bunch of other heavy hitters I don't know well yet.

And ... the part I'm most excited about is the small-group mentoring. Here are the topics available:

Seeking fiction agent
- Seeking nonfiction agent
- Seeking help with a book proposal
- Memoir group
- Literary novel group
- Genre novel group (romance/mystery/thriller/scifi, etc.)
- Children’s (YA/middle grade/picture book)
- Humor/novelty (ex: LOLcats/Cake Wrecks, etc.)
- Cookbooks
- Shorter works/anthologies
- Expert platform nonfiction 
- Book blogging

That? Is something that never happens. Except it's happening. Next month. Good Lord, I can't wait. (For those who are wondering, the conference is $199.)

AM GIDDY. PLEASE TO JOIN.

END WRITERLY FREAK-OUT.

FOR NOW.

Hooray for October starting tomorrow! Kick off the new month with any or all of these 11 event picks that caught my eye:

1. A cool event for small and large cyclists.

2. Of course you want to see a revolutionary street spectacle of never-before-seen proportions.

3. Just say yes to healthy local food for all.
4. And also this local food festival for kids and families in Cambridge.

5. A fall forest festival in Franklin Park.

6. My first priority at this harvest festival would be procuring apple cider donuts.

7. So much craftiness in store at Lowell Open Studios.

8. Salem is ready to rock the haunted happenings.

9. I could use advice on how to resurrect our teeny tiny garden from the experts at this harvest festival and perennial divide.

10. Yay for fresh pressed cider!

11. As a fan of the Little House books, I think Laurel would love to learn how to churn butter at this Homestead Hayfest.

Image credit: Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When it comes to baby and kids stuff, I'm all for recycling. Subsequently, I'm thrilled to serve as a guest curator for Swap.com's Family Swap Day next Saturday, October 8, in Somerville. Whether you want to outfit your kid for Halloween or score books, toys, clothing, and other family-friendly items, simply bring a bag of items to swap, enjoy the family activity room while we get the goods sorted, then come load your bag full of new finds! I'll be roaming the event, and also wielding my face painting skills, so please come say hi! Now, for two cool deals:

+ + + + +
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winners Darlene, Kate, and Joanna!
+ + + + +

1. Want to be one of three winners to receive a pair of tickets to Family Swap Day? Simply e-mail contests@bostonmamas.com (with "Family Swap Day") in the subject line by Monday, October 3 to enter win.

2. If you'd rather lock in your tickets now, use code BOSTONMAMAS to receive 50% off your ticket.

Tears streamed down the little angel's face this morning when I told her I thought I'd made a bad parenting decision yesterday by letting her wear the damn flats.

This was followed by the time-tested retort of BUT EVERYONE ELSE DOES!

I sat there, trying to seem impervious to her grief. I thought about the trials she has gone through these past fifteen days -- those trials of which I have not written but I'm sure many school-ager parents can guess but let's not discuss lest it come back to haunt my little second-grader -- the indignities she has suffered at the hands of her mother without as much complaint as I would've thought.

I thought about battles and which ones to pick.

I thought about how strongly I feel that she not dress provocatively and that flats do not offend my sensibilities at all, but the size 12.5 two-inch wedge sandals do.

I hemmed and I hawed as she sniffled and refused a hug.

Here's the thing I forgot to mention yesterday: She and I both have flat feet. I doggedly wore flats all throughout the eighties even though they made the soles of my feet cry out in pain. I let her wear flip flops on shortish trips this summer, but she wore sneaks and socks every day to summer camp, every time we went to the zoo, etc., no matter how hot it was. I don't know the science on flat feet and arch supports, but I know comfort.

And her feet are still growing.

Hem and haw.

Sniffle and whine.

I made her wear boots to school on an 80-degree day because she said they were the only thing that went with her sparkly leggings. 

IS THIS IMPORTANT?

So I cut her a deal: I would buy her insertable arch supports for the flats. Which I did, today. They don't have child-sized ones at CVS, but I'm hoping her feet are close enough to small adult size to make it work. I suppose we shall find out tonight. I told her if I could get arch supports that worked into her silly flats she could wear them on days she doesn't have PE.

When she was two, I let her wear twirly dresses every day to daycare as long as they had shorts under them. 

When she's fifteen, I may have to deal with bad nineties fashion come back to haunt us. 

I've decided to fight the biggest fashion battle for me: DRESS YOUR AGE. Dress like a little girl. While flats don't scream "seven years old" to me, I don't fundamentally object to them on that basis.

So I'm going to stick the arch supports in there and let it ride.

When Violet recently turned 6 months we embarked on the solid food journey. And it's been 10 days notable for cute firsts (first cereal! first yams! first pears!), not the least of which was testing the Béaba Babycook. While I tend to forego lots of baby gear as unnecessary, if you are interested in -- or intimidated by the prospect of -- making baby food, you must consider acquiring this amazing tool. Read on for my thoughts about the Babycook, as well as to learn how to win a Béaba Babycook and multiportion food storage unit!
First, seasoned readers will know that I am a baby food making devotee. I made all of Laurel's purees -- which, I should note, sadly backfired on me during a vacation where I tried to feed her jarred food and she refused it. Anyway, I was committed to making Laurel's baby food but it was always a project -- involving a big pot, an old fashioned steamer basket, and the big, heavy Cuisinart. And because I had to get out these big pieces, I would make and freeze a lot of purees. And a lot of mess. Especially on the occasions where I forgot I was cooking food and burnt the veggies. I still feel a little bad thinking about trying to feed Laurel carrots retrieved from the burning that looked okay, but tasted charred. You should have seen the look on her face -- and mine -- when I tasted them.

This time around we're in a different house, have a smaller freezer, and I have way less patience for more dishes (and burnt veggies). So I have fallen in love (yes, fallen in love) with the Béaba Babycook by Scandinavian Child. Perfect for absurdly easy baby food making, simply measure the water, pour it in the tank, toss your cubed produce in the steamer basket, turn on the steamer, and stop paying attention (no burnt veggies!) -- the unit will turn off when the cook cycle is done (15 minutes or less). When you're ready to blend the produce, use the included spatula to lift out the steamer basket, pour off the reserved water (or leave it in the bowl for thin purees), pour the produce from the steamer basket to the bowl, and blend. The bowl and basket are dishwasher safe and BPA free, as are the multiportion silicone freezing units, which are great for storing. I have one multiportion unit so I freeze then pop the nuggets into small labeled freezer bags.

Given that I tend to take out freezer nuggets in advance, I have yet to use the Babybook as a warmer and defroster but it's an excellent added feature for last minute food prep. However, in my opinion the ease and efficiency of the cook unit alone is worth the investment ($150 retail). In fact, the Babycook is so easy to use that just yesterday -- while I was redeeming myself prepping a batch of non-burnt carrots for Violet -- Laurel asked if she could not only be in charge of filling the multiportion freezer unit (she loves this job), but also be in charge of cooking Violet's fruits and veggies from here on in.

My life just got another step easier.

+ + + + +
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Jane!
+ + + + +

Now, want to win a Béaba Babycook + multiportion food storage unit? Here's how:

Rules:

Hop on over to the Scandinavian Child website then leave a comment below, sharing an item you'd love to try from any of Scandinavian Child's brands.

US entrants welcome to enter.

One comment per person (please do not leave comments from multiple e-mail addresses). Anonymous or SPAM-like comments will be removed. Note that your e-mail address will not be published or shared! Leaving just your first name or first name + initial in the name field is perfectly fine.

Entry period closes at midnight EST, Sunday, October 2, 2011.

+ + + + +

*One lucky winner (selected using Random.org) will receive a Béaba Babycook + multiportion food storage unit (a $175 value!). Sweet!

Last week I had the pleasure of hearing Robyn O'Brien speak at a lunch hosted by Stonyfield -- coincidentally enough, on the same day my post about nine small acts that can lead to big change went live on Stonyfield's blog. Given that small acts were top of mind for me, and following O'Brien sharing that prior to her transition to organic living she was as a neon-colored-yogurt/chemical-laden-chicken-nugget-slinging mom, I asked her about her family's first food steps. She shared the following excellent advice:

1. Be OK with gradual change. O'Brien admitted that it was daunting to look in her pantry following her food industry revelations. She decided to shift gradually -- her first priority was to switch to rBGH-free dairy. She then replaced foods with artificial coloring, and followed by eliminating high fructose corn syrup from her family's diet.

2. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. My therapist has shared this quote with me in the past (not easy for perfectionist types to stomach...) and O'Brien referenced the quote in relation to food change. The reality is that it's very difficult to control kids' food intake 100% of the time and she recommended just doing the best you can. For example, at home O'Brien's kids eat organic but she knows that at birthday parties and other events, there probably will be HFCS-laden candy and non-organics and they roll with it.

3. Move forward with a friend. I absolutely love this piece of advice, which is to find a friend to join you on the family food detoxifying journey. In my mind, it's similar to having a gym or walking buddy -- you hold each other accountable and help each other along.

I hope my 9 + Robyn's 3 tips above offer helpful fodder for small ways to implement change in your family food system. If you have other great tips, feel free to share below or over at the Stonyfield blog!

The little angel wore flats to school today.

I remember when she used to let me dress her however I wanted.

FLATS.

The neighbor girl started wearing them to school in first grade. I resisted. Today I hemmed and hawed, stewed, then chose not to fight this battle. Not when there have been other, more important battles to fight with her in the past two weeks.

I put boots and socks in her backpack in case the flats hurt her feet, then wondered if I'd made the backpack too heavy. I made sure she didn't have P.E. today.

I think it's silly and probably bad parenting to let her wear flats to school in second grade.

FLATS.

But maybe, what I'm really thinking is ...

SECOND GRADE.

I've been meaning to write about The Finger Hug for a long time, but I never get around to doing it. I talked about it recently at a Hallmark blogger event for their Moments Between the Milestones campaign. If you want to see the video, it's here.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, that's completely natural, because I made it up. ha!

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! After waking up feeling sick after a strange night of sleep, I'm hoping to turn the Monday blahs around ASAP and wish you all a fantastic week. If you're looking for stuff to do, here are some fun event ideas for this week, spanning hands-on science experiences, exploration of things that go, the state of birthing (this one's for the grownups), puppetry, outdoor fun, and music. So much fun to be had!

Image credit: Puppet Showplace Theatre